A high school is not usually the place where the norms of gender expression and identity are challenged. In the struggle for acceptance, many teens hide who they are to “fit” in. That is not the case with Connor Ferguson however. 18-year-old Fergusen attends the Trenton High School in Ontario, Canada. As an out transwoman, Ferguson has experience her share of discrimination and harassment; but luckily in her school, Ferguson has also found a multitude of peers and educators who support her for who she is. This respect culminated in a wonderful expression of acceptance at her high school’s end-of-the-year prom: Ferguson was crowned as prom queen. In a high school story that is far too rare, but is becoming more common day by day, Ferguson’s peers accepted her for being herself – no more, no less. As one student at the prom said, “I voted for Connor because anyone who has been through as much as she has and still exudes so much class and confidence deserves a royal title, and not just on prom night.” Congratulations Connor!

“I was really surprised,” she told The Trentonian. “It was pretty surreal actually. If I remember correctly my jaw hit the floor and we all started laughing because it was so crazy. I walked up and the crown didn’t fit my hair, so I had to hold it.”

Ferguson, who has lived as a transwoman for four years, emphasized the support and acceptance of her peers and teachers at school in helping her live normally. Still, she notes, it wasn’t perfect.

While Ferguson expressed a lot of surprise at receiving the prom queen vote, it comes on the heels of a far more public contest involving a transgender contestant — Jenna Talackova’s bid to become Miss Universe Canada. Though Talackova did not win the competition, her questioning of the terms “natural born woman” opened up the option for other transgender people to pursue their dreams in this area. . . .